The LEGO Segment Of Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Was Created By A 14-Year-Old
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is out in theaters now. Perhaps you've seen it. If so, I bet you couldn't tell that an entire segment came from someone who isn't even old enough to have a driver's license. Of course, Miles Morales, the main character in the film, is in his teens as well. This news just makes this film all the more wonderful.
According to a tweet from CultureCrave, retweeted by "Spider-Verse" co-writer/producer Phil Lord, the LEGO segment in the new film was animated by none other than 14-year-old Preston Mutanga. If this young person's name sounds familiar to you, it may be because he recreated the entire "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" trailer in LEGO. His talent is incredible.
As for confirmation of the gig, Mutanga was asked on Twitter if he indeed animated the LEGO sequence in "Across the Spider-Verse," and he replied, "(yes)" over a gif of LEGO Batman saying, "I'm sorry, I literally have no idea what you're talking about." Of course, Lord writing, "The future of animation has arrived!" and "Into the Spider-Verse" co-director Peter Ramsay re-tweeting CultureCrave's original post with the note, "A Star is Born. Just incredible. Congrats, Preston!!" is confirmation all on their own.
A rising animation star
It's pretty wonderful, the fact that Phil Lord, co-writers Christopher Miller and David Callaham, and all the powers that be at Sony Pictures Animation let a young artist create this sequence, especially considering that Lord and Miller gave the world "The LEGO Movie" and could likely have gotten anyone to do the work. Animation can be a really difficult career to break into. Heck, the movie business, in general, is incredibly competitive. So many creators of all ages have taken to YouTube to get their work out there instead of using traditional channels. Mutanga's YouTube channel is full of LEGO CGI videos that, as he says in his channel description, are done "for fun."
It never would have occurred to me that this sequence was done by a kid! However, the thing about good animation is that when it's done well, you often don't notice it. The fact that the LEGO sequence didn't stand out as different than anything else in the film is exactly what makes it so brilliant. The theater I saw it in screamed with happiness to see the LEGO-verse in there at all, but not because the quality was anything less than stellar.
Preston Mutanga has a bright future ahead of him and it's wonderful to get a glimpse of the next generation of artists. Keep an eye out for his name in the credits, and give him a cheer!
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is currently playing in theaters.